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Photos submitted

A LARGE shrine-like log cabinet capped with a five-pointed star is one of the most curious artifacts
to be found at the site. Mounted into the centre of the cabinet is a series of wooden slats bearing

the names of cats.

Setting not ap

' From page 7

man admitted that he would be
equaliy supportive of a restaurant
on the proposed site.

The business partners in the
Pemberton Station neighborhood.
pub voiced opposite views on the
pub proposal at the hearing.

John McAndrew said com-
plaints concerning traffic, noise,
vandalism and crime were all rais-
ed during the public hearing for
Pemberton Station and had
proven groundless.

The members of the ratepayers’
association who had_ spoken
against his pub now regularly use
it, he said.

“If it is allowed to proceed I
really believe that it will be an
asset to the area,’’ said McAn-
drew,

But McAndrew’s partner,
George McKay, disagreed saying
the site posed a risk to customers
because it was too ciose to the
railroad tracks.

“T think it is a very poor loca-
tion,” said Mckay, who said he
was very familiar with the
neighborhood, having lived on
Doliarton.

Mckay said that while both sites

wo

was STREET

PROPOSED
Maplewood industrial area south of the Dollarton Highway.

point made by several speakers
and in a letter from the Lynn-

have an industrial setting,
Pemberton Station has clear ac-
cess from Unree directions, while
Spicer Road has only one way
oul.

“We have an established
neighborhood (Norgate) 350 feet
away. They don’t have direct road
access, but that is a positive,’
said McKay.

McKay was underscoring a

—" .
MANUPACTUKING *

SITE of the two-storey pub on Spicer Road in the

wood [Inn’s owner, Andrew
Priatel, who wrote, ‘'There is no
residential area to be served by
this ‘neighborhood pub." "*

Aldermen Cuthbert, Gadsby
and Buchols were all absent from
the public hearing. Council will
consider second reading of the
pub bylaw on May 25,

Wednesday. May 20, 1992 - North Shore News - 3

found in WV wilderness

Mtn. shrine to, abandoned
cats erected by transient

TWO WEST Vancouver
hikers recently stumbled
upon a strange wilderness
encampment formerly used
as a ‘‘Shangri-La’* for
abandoned cats.

By Michael Becker
News Reporter

The site is located in a moun-
tain forest in the West Vancotver
area and fias been inhabited on
and off for at feast six years.

At first glance the encampment
seems to be the meticulous hand-
iwork of a long-forgotten race of
inscrutable forest-dwelling trolls.

Dubbed Project Cats Kingdom
by its creator, the well-
constructed encampment is built
on a series of rock-lined terraces
and includes two shelters.

The main area, a natural clear-
ing overlooking a cliff, contains a
fire pit framed by a large, five-
pointed wooden star. A seat is
built into each point of the star.

Just beyond the star-shaped fire
pit is a hand-crafted table. A
black hard hat hangs from a
frame above the table.

Beside the table is a hollowed
portion of tog fitted with hinged
doors. The log contains two
balloons, one black and one red.

To the right stands a pyramid-
shaped ‘sextant scale’? topped by
a handmade wooden airplane. In-
scribed on one side of the scale
balancing arm is the word Gigi,
on the other side, Baron.

On a terrace above sits a second
hollowed log complete with lid
and hinged doors.

Beside it, a larger shrine-like
log cabinet capped with a five-
pointed star is the most curious of
the artifacts to be found at the
site.

bee mails

44 [t could be a
ritual site, but it
doesn't have the
proper
seriousness for
witches. #¥

— NV witch Samuel Wagar

department is aware of it, the for-
esters are aware of it. Until we get
an injunction to get them al! out,
it's a municipal problem.””

But Wahl added, ‘‘They haven’t
really caused any trouble, and
they seem to be living peacefully
up there."’

The use of star-shapes at the
site points to an element of wit-
chcraft.

But said modern-day North
Vancouver witch Samuel Wagar,
“It looks like the work of crazed
artists — it’s very pretty. It vague-
ly reminds me of some of the Af-
rican ritual stuff.

“The only Wiccan element is
the star. But my guess is that it is
more likely to be artists who
decided to do something in the
woods -—~ it could be a ritual site,
but it doesn’t have the proper
seriousness for witches.”’

Wagar added that when witches
perform rituals in natural settings
they tend not to change or disturb

THE MAIN area contains a fire pit framed by a large, five-pointed
wooden star with a seat built into each point of the star.

Amidst shards of broken mirror
glued to the inside portion of one
of the cabinet doors is the inscrip-
tion ‘‘Project Cats Kingdom.”’

Mounted into the centre of the
cabinet is a series of wooden slats
bearing names such as Skywalker,
Fuzz, Thermo, Seeker and Gina.

Topping the series of slats are
the names Empress Gigi and
Baron Von Winsloader. Above the
names are the words Laser Eve
and Mercury.

To the tight of the shrine, two
handmade wooden chairs and a
wooden trolley cart sit facing out
toward the star-shaped fire pit
below.

Behind, a rock-lined trail leads
to a fire pit situated beside a rock
plaque. The tablet prociaims the
1985 founding of ‘the State of
Emperica.””

Just beyond, a cradile-like sling
hangs from a tree near a second
shelter.

Said West Vancouver Staff Set.
Gunther Wahl, ‘‘There are a few
bizarre people up there. There's
not much we can do. The parks

their environment.

West ‘Vancouver park manager
Erik Lees said the site was built
over a period of years by a squat-
ter.

Said Lees, ‘‘He’s some sort of
wacky hobo-type that has a thing
for cats. The state of Emperica is
a Shangri-La for the feline
species. He's kind of set up these
shrines to various stray cats. He
had them all named by a bunch of
very odd names.”*

According to Lees, each name
printed inside the shrine-like cab-
inet is the name of a cat. Empress
Gigi and Baron Von Winsloader
are ‘‘the head cats."

Lees said he once spoke with
the cat fetishist, but he has not
seen him for at least 2% years.

Yet the site continues to be us-
ed.
“The site has been used by
friends of his. There is a whole
community of transient squatter
types, they fraternize with one and
other, they hang out for a

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